It is not a job suitable for those who suffer from heights. “The first time, it impresses you,” remembers Laura Urrutia of her first climb to the gondola (top of the tower) of a wind turbine, 120 meters from the ground. Before opting for the wind sector, “when I saw the windmills in the mountains, I wondered what it would be like to work in a place like that, but I never imagined that I would end up getting on one of them.”
mechanical engineerthis 27-year-old from Pamplona already has extensive experience in commissioning wind turbines in five wind farms in South America, specifically in Chile y Brazilcountries in which he has been working these last two years.
In November 2022, Laura Urrutia joined the company Nordex-Acciona as ‘commissioning technician’, i.e. wind turbine commissioning technique. Three months later he was assigned to Chile, specifically to the area of Atacama desertwhere he had his first experience in a wind farm. He stayed there for about three months, returned to Pamplona and in June traveled to Rio Grande do Norte, near the city of Natal.
His stays abroad last three months, he returns to Pamplona for several weeks and then leaves for a new destination. Since she was little, Laura Urrutia was always attracted to “being able to combine professional life with the possibility of traveling to different places.” His work in wind farms allows him to lead a lifestyle that fits well with his character: “I like change and I am able to adapt quickly to any circumstance”is described.
In February of this year he returned to Chile, this time near the city of Ovalle, in the Coquimbo region, and in June he returned to northern Brazil, specifically to Araripina, in the state of Pernambuco. He spent the entire summer there. In all projects he usually performs “the same functions and tasks”, since it is a “very standardized” job.
Everything revolves around the start-up of the wind turbines, which requires “a series of review tasks, fine-tuning of components and carrying out tests to verify the correct operation of the machines,” he details about his work.
His last stay in Brazil took place at the Feijão wind farm, where he traveled with four other colleagues from Nordex-Acciona, all of them from different places in the Basque Country. There they joined the Brazilian team, made up of a dozen people from different areas of such an immense country. Urrutia points out that it has been very easy to work with them: “They have a lot of patience when teaching and it is quite difficult for them to get angry.” In addition, they share a similar sense of humor: “The way we make jokes or laugh at things is very similar. Plus, most of them speak Spanish.” In Brazil, the workday begins at seven in the morning “to make the most of the daylight hours.” This intensive day allows you to have free afternoons and share sports activities with co-workers. “For example, I’ve gotten into CrossFit,” he says anecdotally.
In each new project she joins, this woman from Pamplona has to build her life practically from scratch: “If you are a person of routines or who already has a very busy life, this job is not for you. During the three months that each project lasts, you are constantly changing: the area of the country, the climate, the accommodation, the people you live with, your pace of life changes…”, he lists.
“On every trip you learn a lot about yourself.” The only drawback she mentions is having to be separated from her loved ones: “When you are away you lose your support network, because your friends and family are not there. You have your co-workers, and many times you have to share your free time with people you have not chosen, so you learn to coexist.”
Currently, Urrutia is in Pamplona. At the moment he does not know what his next destination will be.but she is delighted with her experience in the two South American countries. “In Chile I would highlight its precise landscapes, the gastronomy and the closeness and good treatment of its people.” In Brazil, he especially recommends the Natal coast, with places like Canoa Quebrada or Macarajaú, an area known as the Brazilian Caribbean.
